The planning commission met Tuesday to make decisions on numerous rezoning cases and a text changes that will allow city council latitude to make judgment calls on specific rezoning cases regarding street connectivity.
The rezoning of a property that contains Stone’s Warehouse was recommended for approval. The change was from residential business, residential-10, and neighborhood business to neighborhood mixed use and industrial mixed use, both with three-story height caps. The change would allow for a mixed use development complete with some residential, a neighborhood grocery store, and a café on site.
Staff found the change to be consistent with the future land use map and the urban form map. It was consistent with all applicable policies found in the comprehensive plan. Planning director Ken Bowers said that a condition of the deal between the city of Raleigh and the developer of the property was that the property needed to be rezoned to meet the vision provided by the developer.
Commissioner Veronica Alcine said she had attended the July citizens advisory council (CAC) meeting and that the reception to the plan had been positive. She made the motion to recommend approval and it carried unanimously.
Commissioner Buxton: Z-17-15 in Public’s Interest due to Complimentary Nature
Rezoning case Z-17-15, which concerned a 6.46 property in the Wade Park complex, was recommended for approval. The rezoning was from office and institution-2 to office mixed use with a 12-story height cap. Staff found the case to be consistent with the future land use map and consistent with most policies outlined in the comprehensive plan.
City of Raleigh
Z-17-2015
The lone policy that the rezoning was not consistent with comprehensive plan concerned the frontage. The property was shaped in such a way that a narrow strip protruding from its top was the only piece that touched a roadway. The narrow strip also intruded over a pedestrian walkway that had been built between two townhome complexes.
Attorney Isabel Mattox represented the applicant Dominion Realty Partners and said that the plan was to build a 280,000 square foot, 8-story office building. She said that it had initially been a 10-story office building but had brought it down two stories to alleviate the concerns of the West CAC. The CAC in turn had voted 14-2 in favor of the rezoning.
Commissioner John Buxton said that the development was in the public’s interest because it compliments residential and retail developments already in Wade Park and made the motion to recommend approval. It was passed unanimously.
Commissioner Terando Votes ‘No’ to give City Council more Authority in Rezoning Cases
Text change TC-8-15 was recommended for approval. The text change gives city council the authority to look at rezoning cases on a case by case basis in regards to connectivity and street improvements.
After commissioner Eric Braun said there was no more they could do in the text change committee, commissioner Adam Terando said he could not support the text change saying he could not be sure what its effects would be. It was approved with Terando being the lone ‘nay’ vote.
James Borden / Raleigh Public Record
A new text change would allow City Council to look at rezoning applications on a case-by-case basis
